


Game of romances

by Lambeda



Category: Kuroshitsuji | Black Butler
Genre: AU where the Phanomhive manor never burnt, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Comedy, Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-25
Updated: 2018-04-19
Packaged: 2019-04-07 20:47:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 7,839
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14089341
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lambeda/pseuds/Lambeda
Summary: She never wins when she is against one of the twins. But she doesn’t mind. What matters to her is that everyone has fun and is happy.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Until Yana reveals Our!Ciel true name, I will use "Astre" for him. It seems to be the most popular fanon name and I kind of grew fond of it.

    To be the Queen Victoria ‘s watchdog is a hard and strenuous job. Allies can betray you at any moment. Enemies will use any means to get your head. You will need to forget your pride and honor to act as the lowest filth on Earth. You must be able to lie like a snake, grovel like a beggar and rule like a tyrant. All for the sake of the Crown and Great-Britain. Everyday is a deadly game of chess. Except there is several boards, several opponents, and you are alone.

But Vincent Phantomhives is a master of games and strategies. Whether it be politics, money or murders, the Lord could handle it all flawlessly. All the while maintaining a warm and comfortable home for his wife and his two children, two beautiful identical twin boys.

However tonight the Earl is restless. He feels uneasy. Something is amiss. But what? His iron grip on the underworld is perfect. No english noble can attack him either. They know a terrible fate await them if they attempt so. But he feels like he is overlooking something. A new chess game has begun. But he doesn’t see the board nor the player. Soon he will be checkmated, and the moment he will realize it, it will be too late.

Soon his sons will be celebrating their tenth birthday. That day is important for everyone. Masters, families and servants will celebrate it together with a grandiose party in the manor. He will not tolerate any harms done to his beloved ones.

Especially on the anniversary of his sons.

If he cannot wins that invisible chess game yet, he can still do two things: wiping out all the visible ones and taking preventive measures. Until the twins‘s birthday, he will let this (new?) player be.

Time to get to work.


	2. Chapter 1

     Elizabeth Midford loves the Phantomhive manor. The servants and the butler Tanaka are kind and friendly. Aunt Rachel and aunt An are, in her eyes, perfect english noble ladies. They are beautiful, elegant, generous and kind. Uncle Vincent is the perfect husband a lady could ask for: rich, handsome, intelligent and kind. There is also Sebastian, a big black smart and friendly dog.

But the persons Elizabeth loves the most are the Phantomhives twins: Ciel, her fiance, and his brother Astre. They are one year younger than her, but they are more intelligent than most adults she knows. Except for uncle Vincent, nobody can win against them at chess. The last time she played against Ciel, she only lasted 30 minutes before he checkmated her. She never wins when she is against one of the twins. But she doesn’t mind. What matters to her is that everyone has fun and is happy.

She still remembers the celebration of their tenth anniversary. It easily ranks in the top best day of her life. The manor was luxuriously decorated. There was so many presents under the christmas tree. The servants prepared one big cake for the twins. They succeeded mixing chocolate and strawberry, Ciel and Astre favorite flavor, so well it became one of their favorite cake. Everyone had so much fun. They eat, chatted, danced, played, and played, and played. Aunt Rachel and uncle Vincent had completely cleared the family schedule for this day. So everyone played to their heart content. In the end, the three of them fell asleep during one of their game, exhausted but fully satisfied. She spent the night in the manor until her mother picked her up in the morning.

Unfortunately, every days cannot be as fun as that one day. A few days later, the Phantomhive Earl left his family because of his work for the Queen. For a month, nobody knew what happened to him during that time. There was no new, no letter, nothing. They were even rumors he died. But his wife and children never doubted he would come back. And he came back. Elizabeth didn’t see the scene herself, but Ciel told her he never saw his father more dishevelled and tired than that time. Actually, until that moment he never saw his father being less than impeccable. And what more, he hugged him and his brother hard, almost to the point they couldn’t breath. Usually it is only their mother who do that.

The Earl also brought a new addition to the Phantomhive manor: a very handsome butler clothed in black. Sebastian is his first name. How coincidental. Their family dog died a week ago. Sebastian, the dog, was around as long as Elizabeth could remember, so by the time he died he must have been pretty old for a dog. While it was sad, it is something that couldn’t be avoided. For a new Sebastian to appear so suddenly, what more as the butler of Ciel’s father, Elizabeth find it to be a beautiful coincidence. If anything, she likes to believe it is because of the deceased dog ‘s wish to always be with his master.

Sebastian, the butler, proves to be very capable. He is skilled with words, has an extensive knowledge in all subjects, and is an excellent fighter. He can do everything, and what he do, he do it quickly and flawlessly. It is hard to believe a man as perfect as him could exist. It took little time for Tanaka to retire and pass the mantle to Sebastian. Like every inhabitant of the Phantomhive house, Elizabeth ends up liking him too. He is skilled and agreeable. She feels that with him, Ciel‘s family will be safe.

Ciel doesn’t like him. It is not that he hate him either. The Phantomhive heir simply cannot bring himself to trust him. The new butler ‘s talent and efficiency are undeniable. But there is something in him that makes the young boy uncomfortable.

“He is too perfect.” he told her one time.

Elizabeth doesn’t understand what is wrong with that, but her fiance didn’t say more. She decided to consult his brother Astre. Contrary to Ciel who only looks at Sebastian with a cold glare, Astre is cordial at least.

“He is too perfect.” he also said.

There is clearly something that is beyond Elizabeth ‘s comprehension. It is not the first time it happens and it will certainly not be the last. Aunt Rachel and aunt An had informed her in the past about such thing. When Ciel will inherit his father position, he will have to keep secret from everyone. It includes her and their family. The most important thing is not to know everything, but to stay on his side no matter what. As the future wife of the future watchdog, her role will be to support him through and through and give warm welcomes, so he will never lose himself.

Since the Head of the Phantomhives came back from his one month work, the manor has become busier. Ciel and Astre have a lot more classes. Ciel has told they are also harder. Of the twins, he is the one who works the most. On top of the lessons, he learns fencing with Elizabeth ‘s mother. Uncle Vincent has started his training as the next head of the family too. Compared to before the twins ‘s birthday, it is almost like the three of them cannot play together anymore.

But this is not enough to discourage the young lady. If there is one thing Elizabeth Midford has inherited from her parents it is their determination. As Ciel’s future wife, she has given herself the mission to make him (and his brother) smile. She visits the manor regularly. Most of the times she comes unannounced. But everyone likes her and she likes everyone, so they let her in anyways. The downside is she needs to wait a lot. But when she sees the smiles and the laughs, she thinks it is worth the wait and she will come back again.

She has especially one great memory.

 

     During a holiday, her parents, her brother Edward and she took a trip  to London. In a spontaneous decision, she decided to buy gifts for everyone. The day after they got back, she went straight to the Phantomhives's residence with several suitcases ready to burst at any moments. She arrived unannounced as usual but was welcomed by the warm smiles of the servants. She proceeded to give gifts to every single one one of them. Each presents had been personally handpicked by her and there were never two identicals one. She saw some funny and strange expressions, but everyone looked happy.

Eventually came Sebastian ‘s turn. For some reasons, the atmosphere became more excited than before. If there is one thing Elizabeth could fault in the perfect butler, it is his lack of cuteness. For the young girl, everyone has a cute side. The problem with Sebastian is that it’s especially hard to find it. But with her gift, she has hoped to reveal that side of him.

“Sebastian, what are you doing?”

Up the main stairs that lead to the mansion ‘s second floor, the whole Phantomhive family had appeared. By reflex, the butler turned around to face his master and his family.

With a frilly and flowered pink hat that (size wise) fitted perfectly his beautiful head.

She has taken a long time choosing it. Eventually she settled for a frilly and flowered pink hat. The three adjectives are synonym with cuteness (in her opinion), and she has never seen the butler with a hat. Thus she has concluded it would be the perfect present.

The whole manor bursted out with laugher. Hard.

Masters and servants, save for one, alike were clutching their sides. Some were even rolling on the floor. Ciel approached her. He was holding his stomach. With difficulty he tried to manage his laugh and asked:

“Ha! ha! ha! ha... Are you the one who... Ha! has given this hat to him?”

“Of course, I wants to unveil his cute side!”

The sound of laughter that was starting to fade came back. Louder even.

“Pffff! Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! You are incredible Lizzy! You really are the best wife I can have.”

Lizzy blushed from the compliment. She put both of her hands on her cheeks. It felt hot. The entire room was warm with the atmosphere. The only one not sharing the mood was Sebastian who was standing in the middle of the hall with a stiff and twitching smile.

In another context, Lizzy would be offended that someone would laugh at her cute present. But in this particular situation, she didn’t mind it. She could already feel Sebastian was getting closer with the servants. She also saw uncle Vincent ‘s earnest laugh. He was often seen as smiling and chuckling, never laughing. Astre was a special sight too. She rarely had seen the boy laugh so loudly. But for her, the best smile was her fiance‘s. His smile was the brightest possible. She missed it. It was something she didn’t saw since his last birthday party.

 

If everyone is happy, if Ciel is happy, she is happy.


	3. Chapter 2

     Since his father came back from his one month work, things aren’t quite the same in the Phantomhive manor. Everyone has become so busy. The Earl is working harder than before and his friends‘s visits are more frequents. There are also new ones, like aunt An, who are attending his father’s meetings.

He and his twin brother have more works to do too. Their parents increased the number of lessons in their schedule. They have also raised the difficulty by several levels. Before Ciel and he could get perfect marks with barely working. Now they struggled to even get the minimum threshold. It is even harder for Ciel. As the future Phantomhive Head the teachers expected no less than perfection from him. Plus he has sword training from aunt Francis and the private lessons from their father. His schedule is so packed he has barely any time to play. More often than not the younger brother is seen alone.

“I am here!”

Lizzy is almost always with aunt Francis when the latter is coming. But she also comes alone very often, one time per week at least. When it is the latter, she has a tendency to appear without notice nor warning. This turned into a daily bet among the servants.

“Miss Elizabeth, I apologize for the young master is currently busy with his studies and cannot attend to you for the moment.” says Sebastian curtly.

No matter the agenda, nobody has the heart to send the girl back home, this includes the whole Phantomhive family.

“It’s alright. I shall wait until he is finished.”

She always waits until Ciel is free of his daily work and returns home when they are done playing. When she is here, their mother always try to free some time in Ciel’s busy schedule. Somehow their cousin‘s presence has become synonym with playtime.

“Then I will inform the masters of your presence. Shall I prepare tea and snacks to keep you waiting?”

“Please do so. Astre, would you like to keep me company?”

The request startled Astre. It is the first time someone requests his company. It is always his brother, or both of them, never him alone.

The younger twin has been on his way to the toy room. He has more free time because he is the spare. He is used to spend his time alone since his asthma showed. Lately his health has improved a lot and he coughs a lot less than before. But aunt An has warned him his health is still delicate.

“Are you sure?” He knows she is here for his brother, not him.

“Of course!” she smiles like the sun. Astre has no choice but to surrender to her wish.

Since then, whenever Lizzy visits the Phantomhive house and her fiance is busy, Astre is more than happy to entertain her until his twin joins them. The young lady is more the outdoor type of person, but for him she is willing to play within the safety of the wall of the manor. They mainly play board and card games, but sometimes they read a book or just have a plain chat.

 

     One day, Lizzy arrives in the manor with several fully loaded suitcases. They are presents for everyone, servants and masters alike. Sebastian is no exception.

Ciel and Astre doesn’t like the new butler. He do his job flawlessly and nobody can find a fault in him. But that’s the problem. He is so perfect that it is suspicious. That and they feel there is something off about him.

Though the Phantomhive Earl has personally hired Sebastian, he does seems to dislike him too. This is not something obvious. The twins can deduce it only because they know their father well. In appearance he is cordial and smiling with the butler. But if you pay attention to the undertone of his speech and the gleam of his eyes, you can feel the disgust toward his servant. Once they asked their father why he doesn’t fire him.

“We cannot afford to separate from him yet.” was the answer. They didn’t dare to press the subject further.

Like everyone else in the house, Lizzy has fallen for the butler‘s charms. Despite that she succeeds one thing Ciel is dreaming of: making fun of Sebastian. Since the latter’s arrival, Ciel unsuccessfully tried to prank him several times. Once he mixed his drink with laxatives. With a smug look, the servant drank it all and walked off completely fine. This only fueled the future Earl ‘s dislike for the butler. But their cousin has done it effortlessly and what more, out of goodwill.

Astre cannot remember the last time he has laughed this much.

When it is his turn to receive his present, he is surprised it is not identical to his brother. They always wear matching clothes and everyone think of them as a set. Lizzy offers to Ciel and him a brooch. They are the same colors, but the crafting are not the same. Ciel’s brooch is complex and shiny. Astre’s one is simple and looks plain in comparison, but there is a delicate and soft feeling emanating from it. This is obvious they are from two different artisans.

“It really does match your eyes well!”

Astre knows the compliments is meant for both of them, but he cannot help but to take it personally. Ciel cannot have a better bride than Lizzy.

 

    Even with their cousin ‘s frequent visits, Ciel ‘s playtimes are too short for a ten years old child. One morning he confides to Astre he has had enough and boldly asks to switch place with him.

This is not an impossible task. They have already done it in the past and nobody ever caught them. Astre agrees to attends his brother‘s extra classes for him. He doesn’t like it, but his brother deserves a much needed break. If it is just for one day, then it should be fine. Plus their academic performances are the same. As long as the teacher is not aunt Francis or their father there will be no problem.

This is what they both thought until Astre finds himself in his father's study room. The latter has changed Ciel‘s schedule at the last minute. It is a rare occurrence, but it happens sometimes when he has more free time than planned. A servant had been especially sent for Ciel. Astre, who played his brother, had no choice but to follow him.

“Oh Ciel, there you are. I wanted to asks you what you think about...”

The Phantomhive Earl pauses and stares at his son. The latter is uncomfortable under the scrutinization but continue to play the role of the eldest twin. He prays to not be caught. If he is... He doesn’t want to imagine it.

“Father?”

“Oh! I am sorry I spaced out. Let’s begin today’s lesson.”

Somehow the twin‘s prank hasn’t been found out.

In the end, the twins played each other's shoes often. Even the days Ciel is supposed to  learn from his father. The only moment they cannot do it is during aunt Francis ‘s fencing training. Contrary to his brother , Astre would be physically unable to endure it. At night, they review together what they have learnt during the day. Doing so will make their story match and thus prevent them from getting caught in their little game.

Ciel looks more relaxed since they do things this way. He and Astre has the same amount of free time now. They feel bad for lying to Lizzy though.


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AO3 is really bad with indents. I think I will not use them anymore. If you have a good solution for it, please don't hesitate to tell me.

The year is 1888. The sons of the Earl Phantomhive are now twelve years old. They are currently enjoying the end of the winter season in the manor’s greenhouse. The light of the sun and the warm of the piece makes it one of the best place for enjoying a book. Plus, the freshly bloomed flowers are beautiful.

Speaking of flowers, the youngest Phantomhive gardener is currently destroying the rose bushes outside of the greenhouse. Finian, nicknamed Finny, is supposed to gather the roses to put them inside the manor as decoration. But as usual he is using too much strength and end up creating a war zone around him. The twins let him be. They know one way or another Sebastian will fix the mess.

Since last year, three new servants have been hired. First is Finny. He is a young healthy blond boy of sixteen who, despite his inoffensive appearance, possesses a monstrous strength. Next is Baldroy or Bard, a retired american soldier. Since he has joined, the manor experiences explosions on a daily basis. Curiously enough, no one dies when they happen. Finally comes Mey-Rin, a clumsy maid with a very serious sight problem.

As servants, they are the most incompetent bunch you can find. When you look at Sebastian, the perfect butler, one would wonder how the trio could have been hired. But despite their obvious flaws, they are appreciated by everyone. They always work enthusiastically and earnestly. While they mess up (too) often, they act as a good counterbalance to Sebastian’s perfect and boring demeanor. Since their arrival, the Phantomhive manor is never bored.

“Young masters, I apologize for interrupting you but Miss Elizabeth has arrived.”

Ciel grimaces when he sees the black butler stands only a few centimeters from him and his twin. Their relation is still cold as ice. It has been two years since the servant came, but Ciel still dislikes him. Even though the butler outstanding skills saved the day several times. Whether it is domestic affairs or to assist watchdog duties, Sebastian ‘s presence smoothes things a lot.

“Very well.” Ciel closes his book. “Sebastian, prepare tea and sweets.” The order has been spoken cold and haughty.

Astre shivers at his brother’s voice. This is the kind of moment where his older brother undoubtedly proves he is the Queen watchdog’s son. Usually, Ciel is bright and mischievous. But there are times when he has the same imposing aura than their father. The more they grow, the more the heir resembles his predecessor. Astre is glad he will never be his brother's enemy.

 

“The viscount of Druitt is hosting a ball! Ciel, let’s go together!” suddenly proposes Lizzy over a cup of earl grey tea and a strawberry sponge cake.

“I am sorry Lizzy but I must decline.” refuses gently Ciel.

“Why?”

“I have too much work.”

“But Ciel, we never attended a ball together. I want to dance with you!”

“I know I know. But I don’t have time to attend parties.”

Astre feels bad for Lizzy. As any young noble lady, she likes dancing and attending social parties. But as the daughter of a marchioness and already betrothed with an earl family, she cannot dances with anyone. Doing so would only cause social damages to the Midford house. The only men who can officially escort her are her father, her brother and her fiance. But the first is busy with his own knight duties and the second with his studies at Weston College. At this moment, only Ciel is available.

It’s true Ciel works a lot and has limited free time. And whenever he doesn’t work, he spends this precious time with his brother. It has been a long time since the two betrothed didn’t meet alone. Since Astre‘s health has improved actually.

“Ciel, maybe you should...”

“Oh! I know!” cuts his cousin. She has been hit with a sudden revelation. “I will talk to uncle Vincent and aunt Rachel! I will convince them to clear your schedule so the three of us can go to the party together!”

Astre was going to say Ciel should go with Lizzy instead of staying with him. But that solution is better after all. He will not be left alone that way; even if social events are not his cup of tea.

“No you cannot!” shot down the future earl.

His brother and his fiance are both shocked by the abrupt refusal. Astre is confident their cousin can persuade their parents.

“Ciel? But why? I am sure I can...”

“You shouldn’t bother Father and Mother with it.”

“But Ciel, breaks are important too.”

“I don’t have time with frivolities.”

Uh oh. Lizzy is on the receiving end of Ciel’s anger. His tone is final and he glares daggers at his fiance. That’s not good, not good at all. Astre spots the tears in the girl’s eyes.

“Why are you angry? I wanted… I wanted to…”

Now the tears are falling like waterfalls. But the young master is still impassible.

“I only wanted to have fun with you!”

And with a last cry, the young lady storms out of the manor, manners and elegance completely forgotten.

“Did I go too far?” wonders Ciel while sipping his cup. He looks at the content with an expression of guilt and regret.

“Ciel...” Astre is half-worried, half-disappointed with his brother.

 

One week passes without the young Midford lady showing up. The servants are a bit disappointed but they don’t pay much attention about it. It happens sometimes when she is on a trip or particularly busy with her own affairs.

 

Two weeks passes. The servants are starting to get worried. The Earl and his wife are also surprised to not see their niece. If the Marchioness and her family  are on a trip, they would have definitely known it. It seems the twins workload has considerably increased.

 

Three weeks passes. The Phantomhive employees are freaking out. Miss Elizabeth‘s absence never exceeded two weeks before. When she cannot come, there is always an official reason like social events, traveling, or (it happened once) sickness. But here, nothing, niet, nada.

“Is there something bothering you Young Master?” asks one day Ruth, one of the maid, to one of the Phantomhive twin. She doesn’t know which one she is currently talking too though.

“I want to decrease Ciel’s amount of work. But I don’t know what to do.” murmures Astre.

Even with their switching place system, Ciel‘s homework amount is almost at an impossible level. Astre worries his brother will snap soon. When he does, it will not be pretty. He has to do something.

“Hmm...” muses the woman. “Maybe Young Master should send an invitation to Lady Elizabeth?” The amount of work is always reduced when the young girl is here.

“She will not come. She must be angry after...” Astre immediately stops himself when realizes what he was going to say.

“Oh oh!” smiles the maid. The damage is already done. “So Master Ciel had a fight with his fiance?”

Having nothing to lose anymore, Astre tells the maid everything that transpired three weeks ago.

“I see.” nods the maid in understanding.

When the next Phantomhive Head is angry, he is like his father: very scary. She cannot fault Miss Elizabeth for not wanting to show up anymore. However the manor misses her bright and cheerful presence. Maybe she and the other servants can help the situation.

“What about inviting Lady Elizabeth to a dance?” she suggests.

“A dance?”

“Yes. This is the cause of the fight, right?” The young boy acquiesces. “Then this is a good way for Master Ciel to make up with his fiance.”

Astre is hesitant to agree with the idea.

“The young masters do know how to dance, right?”

An embarrassed silence answers the question.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's my take on Kuroshitsuji manga's chapter 2, but with my own AU twist. Please look foward to the next chapter.
> 
> I headcanon the servants working in the manor prior to the tragic events of the twin's birthday are all capable in their job. Plus, being the Phantomhive servants and all, they all have a talent that is useful to Vincent. Maybe they are not as strong as Our!Ciel current servants, but they would definitely be able to hold their own in a fight. Until somebody too strong, perhaps strong like Sebastian, comes and kill them all :( That's my take on what happened prior the twin's abduction.
> 
> Anyway, my point is that in canon Sebastian shines because he directly works for Our!Ciel and is only the competent one in the manor. But in this AU, he is first in the service of Vincent and is less needed because almost everyone can do their job properly. So the presence and impact he has on the twins, and the story, is reduced. Which is why I decided to use a OC!maid to help Astre instead of Sebastian.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter :)


	5. Chapter 4

“Ciel, Astre. I heard you two don’t know how to dance.”

The twins choke on their food. It‘s during dinner time their mother decides to reveal such a thing. In the corner of his eye, Astre notices some of the servant barely holding their laughter, Sebastian included.

“From where did you heard that Mother?”

Ciel’s voice is sweet, but Astre feels whoever is named will receive doom. Fortunately their mother evades the question.

“As member of the aristocracy, it’s unthinkable a Phantomhive cannot dance during banquets. I will contact Madame Rodkin to instruct you two.”

“But Mother, our schedule is already full with other classes.” complains Ciel.

“Don’t worry, I will arrange your schedule to fit it in.”

“Once you inherit my position, you will have to attend a number of Her Majesty’s parties. Plus, I believe Elizabeth would like to dance with you Ciel. So it’s a good opportunity to learn.” chimes in their father.

Astre can feel his brother accusing stare on him. From the few sentences spoken by their father, the latter has deduced it’s because of the younger brother they are having this conversation. Astre told nothing to their parents, but the content of the talk he had with Ruth must have spread like fire within the manor. He guesses he can be considered guilty.

 

“Are you angry?”

“...”

The two of them are comfortably tucked in their respective bed but his older brother is turning his back to him and is completely ignoring him. Astre doesn't push the discussion further. When Ciel is like that, there is nothing even he could do. With a dejected face, he lies down on his side, back to back with his brother.

“Do you think I should apologize to Lizzy?” whispers a quiet voice in the dark.

“You were unnecessarily harsh with her.”

“I know but...”

“You don’t want her to know you cannot dance?”

“... yeah.”

Compared to Astre who is the spare, everybody have high expectations of Ciel because he is the heir. And Ciel, being the brilliant child he is, both physically and intellectually, succeeds to fulfill them all. Until Lizzy came that one day. She unconsciously touched one of his weakness and hurt his pride. Any request other than dancing would surely have been fine.

“But since we will take lessons, there will be no problem anymore right?”

“I guess so.” Ciel sighs. “I really need to make it up to her now.”

“How are you going to do it?”

“I have an idea.”

 

A few days later, the Phantomhive is bustling with activities. The cooks are preparing delicious foods. Maids and butlers are carrying various wooden boxes and decorating the reception hall with flowers and rubans with the help of the gardeners. As the head of the servants, Sebastian is supervising the operations.

“No Finny we cannot use those flowers anymore. You used too much strength and broke them, again.”

“Mey-rin, it’s written to use only three cups of detergent. Now is not the moment to turn the manor into a bubble pool.”

“Bard, how did you find that flamethrower?”

‘Monitoring the trio must be a difficult task’ observes Astre when he walks in the garden, the laundry room and the kitchen before joining Ciel in their study room. Room that currently looked more like a tailor workshop than a study room.

“What do you think is the cutest between those two patterns?”

Astre never thought he would see the day where the future Watchdog of the Crown is hesitating between pink flowered fabrics.

“I don’t know. You should ask Sebastian.”

Ciel briefly flashes a horrible scowl. But everyone know the butler has good tastes. Everything under his supervision turns out sumptuous and perfect. Since he is in charge, the Phantomhives have yet to heard a single criticism when it comes to hosting events.

“Alright, I am going to look for him.” sighs the young master. This is not the time to let his pride get in the way.

“Young masters! Young masters!” someone calls outside the room.

The twins opens the door. This is the Ruth. She is out of breath and distressed.

“Lady Elizabeth is here!”

“WHAT?!”

“But aunt An is supposed to bring her here in a few hours!”

“Unless...”

“This is one of those times!” realize the twins in synchronization.

This is one of the time where Lizzy comes completely unannounced; just like she used to before the argument she had with Ciel.

“I haven’t anticipated this scenario.” murmurs the future watchdog to himself. “Where is Lizzy right now?”

“She is currently waiting outside, at the manor’s entrance.”

“Good. Notify Sebastian of the situation and tell him to speed up the preparations. Astre, prepares some games while I welcome our guest. We need to make her wait as long as possible.”

 

“Good afternoon Lizzy! How are you?” greets Ciel with a forced smile.

“Good afternoon Ciel...” greets back meekly his fiance.

An embarrassing silence passes between the betrothed. Lizzy is uncharacteristically quiet. Her eyes are downcast instead of looking at him. Usually the conversation flows between them naturally. But today the two of them are feeling too shy and embarrassed to speak to each other.

“Lizzy, would you like to...”

“I am sorry Ciel!”

“Lizzy?”

In front of him, the lady is bursting into tears. Frantically, the young boy searches his pockets for a handkerchief.

“I talked with Mother and Father and reflected on what happened that day. My behavior was selfish and unfit of a lady. I am sorry Ciel. Please, don’t hate me!”

Gently, Ciel wipes off the tears and the snots out of the young girl's face with the handkerchief he found.

“Please don’t cry anymore Lizzy. Tears doesn’t suit a cute lady’s face. Do you really think I am so shallow I would despise my betrothed over such a trivial argument?”

“Then you are not angry?”

“Look at me Lizzy.”

Green eyes meet large and deep blue eyes. The young Phantomhive smiles with relief.

“Much better. I definitely prefer when we are talking face to face.” He finishes cleaning the last tears in the corner of her eyes. “Do I look like I am angry?”

“No.”

“See? I am not angry at you at all. In fact, I am the one who should be apologizing. I shouldn’t have yelled at you that day. I was being immature and unfair with you.” He puts back the handkerchief in his coat and take a few step backs. In front of his fiance waiting and unsure expression, he makes a reverence. “Will my lady forgives me?”

At first, he thinks Lizzy is going to cry again. But she tackles him with a hug instead. The sudden action almost makes him lost his balance.

“Of course I forgive you!”

Although he cannot see her face, he can feel her smile. Ciel returns the affection. After a few seconds, the young girl finally let go. But the arms surrounding her doesn’t.

“Can we stay like this a little while longer? It has been a long time since we last did it.”

They are in a public space and what they are doing would make her mother cry with outrage. But Lizzy cannot win against her fiance, especially when he has a request like that. She resumes their embrace. She hold him gently as to not hurt him. In the comfort of her arms, his head resting on her shoulder, she hears the boy sighs contently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think only Real!Ciel can have an apology scene like that. I think Our!Ciel, in canon and in this AU, would probably get too embarrassed halfway.
> 
> No, the current arc is still not finished. The next chapter should wrap it up. Ciel and Astre's efforts cannot go to waste after all.
> 
> Thank you for reading this story :)


	6. Chapter 5

“Awww~ They are so cute!”

“As expected of the Young Master!”

“Ohohohoh!”

Unbeknownst to Ciel and Elizabeth, almost every inhabitants of the Phantomhive residence are spying them from afar. They have seen everything, from the greetings to the still not finished cuddling scene. Why are the servants so carefree when they are supposed to be in a rush? That’s because…

“How am I going to tell my brother now?” trembles the youngest Phantomhive. The current mood between his brother and his fiance is too good to be interrupted.

Behind him, Mey-rin, Finny and Bard are on their knees while Sebastian is scolding them.

“Seriously, how stupid and useless can you be? Do you ever learn from your mistakes?”

His angry face must be very frightening because the servants sink lower on the ground.

“WE ARE SORRYYY!”

The kitchen is a completely burnt and have a hole in the ceiling because of one of Bard’s bomb. No food is currently edible. The flowers are ruined because Finnian decided to carry all of them in his arms to save time, but he ended up crushing every last one of them. Moreover, the garden is in a sorry state. Mey-Rin mistook the bottle of detergent with a bottle of textile dyeing. All the tissues they planned to use for the decoration have turned from white and pink to pitch black. Finally, by a serie of unfortunate events, the reception hall has become a complete disaster. Mostly because of the clumsy maid and the too strong gardener.

In short, the trio completely ruined everything.

They are doomed. Not just the guilty idiots but everyone at the service of the Phantomhive house. The damages are too importants. Sacrificing the three servants will not save them.

The moment Lady Elizabeth steps in the manor, she will see the war zone. As the organiser and the host of the event, the scenery will bring shame to the Phantomhive name and makes a fool out of the future Earl. And once the lady leaves, he will make a fool out of them.

Yup, they are totally screwed.

Thus, before their live as they know it end, they have decided to spy on the couple. At least they will have one good memory out of the situation.

 

After a few minutes, Ciel unwraps his arms around his fiance and backs away a few steps. Her eyes are still a little puffy and red, but for the first time in weeks he can finally see Lizzy’s sweet smile and sparkling eyes. This is so much better than crying.

“Would my lady cares for a tour around the manor?” he extends his hand in invitation.

Usually the proposition would be formulated less formally. More along the lines of “Do you want to walk with me?”. But he knows it will appeal to her imaginative side. The lady loves the tales of sweet romances and happy endings. Surprise briefly reflects on her face before she smiles once more and takes his hand.

“I would be honored my lord!”

 

His brother and his fiance are moving! He needs to stop them before they discover the damages. His guts are telling him something horrible will happen if they happen to see one of them,

“Ciel! Elizabeth!” he runs the few meters that separate them.

“Good day to you Astre!” says enthusiastically his cousin.

The youngest Phantomhive is happy and relieved the young girl is back to her usual cheerful self. But now is not the time to marvel about that fact.

“What is on your mind dear brother?”

Astre cannot just say out loud the house is a mess in front of their cousin. But he cannot lie to his brother either. He settles to whisper in his sibling’s ear.

“The preparations, they are…”

The gates of the manor slam open dramatically and pink rose petals whirls out of the manor. Sebastian stands at the entrance. In front of the noble children, he bows with elegance.

“Everything is ready Young Master.”

Ciel stares at the butler suspiciously. By his estimation, the preparations should have been completed in two hours at least. But the eyes and the smirk on the servant’s face show his absolute confidence. Moreover, there would be no benefit for him to lie now. For once, the future Earl will (very reluctantly) trust the man.

“Lizzy, there is a surprise for you inside the manor. Why don’t we change our plans and ‘open’ it now instead?” Ciel gently leads his fiance inside the manor with their joined hands.

 

Sebastian wasn’t lying when he said “everything is ready”. The reception room decoration is even better than what Ciel and Astre imagined in their head. This is not exactly how they planned it, but they must admit the head butler’s realization is much better. It also suits more the twins personal tastes. Instead of using pink and white as the main colors, blue and black dominate the room. To respect the cute theme, a lot of accessories are used: golden glitter, cat and rabbit shaped ornaments and small light colored flowers.

“Everything is so lovely and cute!” gushes Elizabeth. In her excitement, she leaves her fiance’s side to fangirl at the decorations. She has stars in her eyes and one of the largest smile the twins have ever seen.

“I am happy to know my sons have done a good job.” a feminine voice stops the girl in her admiration.

Every servants bow in front of the masters of the house: Vincent and Rachel Phantomhive.

“It has been a long time since we have seen you here Lizzy.” Rachel Phantomhive greets her niece with a motherly smile and a hug. “To celebrate your return, everything in this room has been prepared in your honor. I hope you will enjoy yourself tonight.” She turns to her sons. “Ciel, don’t you have something to say to your fiance?”

With his calling, Ciel advances toward his betrothed while his mother moves back to be next to his father once more. He is smiling. No, that’s wrong. Of the two, Elizabeth might be the tallest, but right now she feels Ciel has the most adult presence. He is smirking confidently. The same confidence his father possesses.

“Elizabeth,” in front of everyone, the heir takes one of her hand to his lips before staring straight at her eyes. In front of his watchful and mischievous gaze, she lightly blushes at the boldness of his actions. “everytime you comes here, joy and happiness accompany you and your presence illumines the manor. Today, to thank you for everything you have done for us, for Astre and I, and to celebrate our reconciliation, we shall dance until your heart content.”

Her heart is beating wildly with anticipation. Is he going to… Is he going to... ? Is one of her wish, one she thought until recently wouldn’t be granted until a few more years, going to come true now?

“Will my lady give me the honor of the first dance?”

 

Astre watches the couple dancing in the middle of the room. Ciel is leading Elizabeth in a viennese waltz. His movements are smooth, graceful and in synchronisation with the melody. It is difficult to believe he started dancing less than a week ago. As expected of his brother.

“It looks like I am late.” says a teasing voice next to him.

“Good afternoon Aunt An.” he greets the baroness dressed in red. A few meters behind her, Grell, her butler, watches the dancers with envy. “I am sorry for the sudden change of plan. It must have bothered your schedule.”

“Don’t worry about it. I planned to leave the hospital early anyways.” reassures his aunt. “I guess everything went well?”

“Yes, my brother apologized to Elizabeth and everything is back in order.”

They observe Ciel making an underarm turn with his fiance His brother performance is exceptionally good for a beginner, but Elizabeth‘s several hours of training are showing. She matches his brother space effortlessly and tones down whatever small missteps or errors her partner is making with her grace.

“Are you jealous of Ciel?” asks suddenly Madame Red.

Her nephew stays silent for a moment and looks at his brother and his cousin once more. Ciel has everything Astre would ever want: a healthy body, a charismatic personality, the position as heir of the Phantomhive, and the best fiance you can find. Is he envious of his brother? Yes. Is he jealous?

In his mind, Astre likes to think of Lizzy as some kind of sun princess. But he has to admit, she shines the most when she is with Ciel. Her current current smile is the brightest ever. The only one who can make her so radiant is his sibling. His beloved brother is with his beloved cousin, there is no reason to be sad.

“If they are happy, I am happy too.” he answers with a fond smile while he gazes at the dancing couple.

“I see.” his aunt pats his head. “I hope you will find your happy ending.”

“Aunt An?”

The music stops. Madame Red leaves him to go to his parent’s side. Her emotions were conflicted. He read melancholy, fondness and sadness? What was his aunt trying to tell him?

“Astre, are you alright?” a high pitched voice interrupts his train of thoughts.

“Elizabeth? What are you doing here?”

The music starts once more and the second dance begins. This time, some of the servants and his parents are dancing. Aunt An is with her butler. In a corner, Ciel is talking with Sebastian.

“Do you have a partner for the next dance?”

“Uh? Of course not!” Who could he ask for such a thing? His plan is to be a wallflower for the entirety of the party.

“Then would you like to share the next one with me?”

“Me?” he points a finger at himself.

“Of course!”

What about his brother? What about etiquette? Ah, but this is a private party, so maybe etiquette doesn’t matter much right now. But his dance techniques aren’t as good as Ciel, won’t Lizzy be disappointed with him?

“You know, this is not very gentlemanly to make a lady wait.” for the second time, the young girl interrupts his thoughts. She is pouting, however her eyes held no trace of seriousness.

“Then...” he supposes it would be rude to make her patient any longer. “Will you accord me the next dance?” he bows like the etiquette lessons told him.

“With pleasure!” she bows as well.

They take place for the third dance: another viennese waltz. Compared to Ciel, Astre footsteps are jerky and his balance still needs to be worked on. He has a hard time following the rhythm too. But his cousin adapts herself to his level and patiently subtly points out directions for him to avoid major blunders. Eventually, the young boy get relaxed enough to lead his partner without help.

“Thank you Astre.”

“What for?”

“Ciel told me it’s thank to you he organised this party.”

“But I have done nothing.” he says quietly, his eyes on their moving feets. The only thing he can think of his contribution is his talk to Ruth, if it can be counted as contribution that is.

Lizzy giggles softly.

“You shouldn’t undermine yourself so much. You are worth as much as Ciel.”

Astre heads up at the comment. “Even if I am the spare?” When he sees the surprise etched on his cousin’s face, he realizes too late what he just said.

“For...Forget what I said.” he stammers. He is red from embarrassment.

The sound of instruments dies down, signaling the end of the dance. Good timing. The only thing he wants to do right now is running away and hiding somewhere where Lizzy cannot see him. But instead of the courtesy bow, she raises her arms and wraps them up around his neck.

He feels his cheeks burning. Everyone is staring at them. He is not used to be the center of attention. Usually, he let that role to his brother. Moreover, he is pretty sure what they are doing is against social etiquette. The reactions range from amusement to shock, which is the majority of the room. His older brother has an indecipherable expression.

“Oh Astre! I like you for who you are. Heir or spare, it doesn’t change the fact you are precious to me.”

A memory of Ciel from where they were eight surfaces. _I’m here with you because I want to be. Playing here with you is the best._

His face is buried between her neck and her shoulder. He can feel the soft texture of her hair and smells her peach and rose scented perfume. Now Astre understands why his older brother prolonged his embrace with Elizabeth. Despite his initial embarrassment, he feels right and comfortable in her warm.

“Lizzy, would you like to drink something?”

Too soon for his liking, she unwraps him to return at her fiance’s side. As he watches her getting away from him, he feels a twinge in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know if it's just me, but it's always after I publish a chapter I find grammar and spelling errors. If you find one please let me know, I will correct it.
> 
> In the manga 's flashbacks, the few times young Our!Ciel mentions Lizzy, he calls her Elizabeth. So I headcanon only Real!Ciel and Edward openly use the nickname "Lizzy" while Our!Ciel uses it only in his mind.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you appreciated the end of this arc. For the next chapter, I am hesitating which event I should write first: Easter or Ciel's abduction by the italian mafia. If you have suggestions or headcanons you would like to share, please don't hesitate :)


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